2010-06-05|Share Your Royal Memories

To the Editor

On 1992-07-01, my family of 4 was driving on the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge between Ottawa, ON, and Gatineau, QC. All of a sudden, my car encountered a mysterious traffic slowdown with the presence of police but without any sign of an accident. It turned into a complete stop with no explanation whatsoever. The highway became a parking lot for 45 minutes or so. Later, I learned that the stoppage was caused by the Queen's motorcade.
The road blockage had been neither announced nor anticipated in this area as far as I knew. So, I wrote a letter to the Queen about the experience. I also gave her constructive suggestions for future visits, i.e., using "TeleVisit" to break the geographical barrier. This way, she can minimise the energy use, and contribute to the preservation of the environment while making the same level of commitment to the people she visits regardless of the location.

I was impressed by the following reply, commanded by The Queen, from the Buckingham Palace. 18 years later, however, "TeleVisit" is still not in use yet...

BUCKINGHAM PALACE
22nd September, 1992.

Dear Mr. Sunatori,
I am commanded by The Queen to thank you for your letter of 12th July, which has only recently reached this office.
I am sorry that your family's outing to the Museum of Science and Technology was curtailed because of traffic problems related to the Royal Visit. As you can imagine, great care is taken in the planning of Royal Visits to avoid such disruption and it is difficult therefore to understand why traffic was halted on the highway for forty-five minutes. I hope nevertheless that your family enjoyed seeing the Concorde a couple of days earlier.
Thank you also for your suggestions on how future visits to Canada might be handled. It was kind of you to have written.
Yours sincerely,
ROBIN JANVRIN

Thank you very much for your attention.

BUCKINGHAM PALACE 22nd September, 1992.
Dear Mr. Sunatori, I am commanded by The Queen to thank you for your letter of 12th July, which has only recently reached this office. I am sorry that your family's outing to the Museum of Science and Technology was curtailed because of traffic problems related to the Royal Visit. As you can imagine, great care is taken in the planning of Royal Visits to avoid such disruption and it is difficult therefore to understand why traffic was halted on the highway for forty-five minutes. I hope nevertheless that your family enjoyed seeing the Concorde a couple of days earlier. Thank you also for your suggestions on how future visits to Canada might be handled. It was kind of you to have written. Yours sincerely, ROBIN JANVRIN

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"Sunatori, Go Simon" <GS.Sunatori@HyperInfo.CA>

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Produced in Canada./Produit au Canada.

ISBN 978-0-929105-04-8

2024-12-17T20:37:48.000Z